Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

I think this book would be a good read-aloud to introduce racial inequality that continued to exist following the abolition of slavery. It is a strong representation of African American strength and heroism during the Civil War as well as the friendships that formed between whites and blacks. This wonderfully illustrated picture book can also show students that important themes and strong stories can be found outside of a novel genre.

Edited Summary Courtesy of http://www.epinions.com/review/Pink_and_Say_by_Patricia_Polacco/content_176087535236 

Paying tribute to an unheralded hero is what Patricia Polacco’s book Pink and Say is all about. It is a stark reminder that most heroes never make the limelight and their heroics may be seen by only one or two or none at all. Pink and Say is a heart-wrenching picture book that tells a difficult tale, a true story from the Civil War. It is a story that is part of Polacco’s family’s oral history. She is the great-great granddaughter of Sheldon Russell Curtis, known as Say in the book. The story opens with 15-year-old Say lying wounded on a Georgia battlefield. He is rescued by Pinkus Aylee, called Pink, who drags Say to Pink’s mother’s home where the two of them are able to recover from their wounds. Pink, also around 15 years old, fought with the Colored Division of the Union Army, fighting against what he called the “sickness” of slavery. In their respite from the war, Say is nurtured by the courage of Pink and the love of his mother, Moe Moe Bay. Say draws courage from Pink and Moe Moe—courage enough to admit that he had been deserting when he was shot—and agrees to return with Pink to his unit. Before they can get away, the story of friendship and hope turns violent and tragic.

Polacco, Patricia. (1994). Pink and Say. New York: Philomel Books. 48 pp. ISBN: 0-399-22671-7.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

I think this book would be wonderful to read before or after Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Both novels deal with racial inequality in the South during the 1930s and each is from the perspective of a coming-of-age girl. Cassie, the protagonist of Taylor's novel, is African American while Lee's main character Scout is white. I think it would be interesting to see the racial inequalities that exist in both stories yet how the two different protagonists bring different experiences and background to the situations. However, the book is perfectly capable of standing alone in a middle school English curriculum. It is a compelling story that shows students the racism and violence African Americans endured during the 1930s.

Edited Summary Courtesy of http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/roll-thunder-hear-my-cry
Nightriders, arson, lynching--in the course of one turbulent year, 9-year-old Cassie Logan's family is traumatized by inequality and racism in their small Mississippi town. Yet the novel effectively conveys, even in the midst of violence and hatred, the importance of family loyalty, as well as pride in the face of adversity.  It's this loyalty, love, and intense pride that enable the Logans to endure in the racist culture of 1930s Mississippi. ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY is the best kind of historical fiction, in which powerful lessons from the past are encased in such an absorbing story with such compelling characters that children don't feel like they're "studying" history at all.

Taylor, Mildred D. (1976). Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. New York: Puffin Books. 276 pp. ISBN: 0-590-98207-9.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I feel that if my goal as a teacher was to get my students to love reading, this is the book I would start them off with. The book is a captivating, edge-of-your-seat read that I feel would draw in all different types of students. It also gives students a view of different socioeconomic classes coexisting in the classroom and in life, both real situations that they could or are experiencing in their personal lives.

Summary courtesy of http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/2310/When-You-Reach-Me

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: 
           I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
           I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Stead, Rebecca. (2009). When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. 197 pp. ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5.